Last week we related a story about Robber’s Roost, an area along the Portneuf Canyon in Bannock County, and a famous robbery that took place there on July 26, 1865. In 1865 that area was a part of Oneida County and was known to be one of the most dangerous stretches of road on the stage route between Butte, Montana, and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Apparently, the area around Malad City was also a popular place to hijack the stagecoach, because there are at least three stories told of robberies that took place near there, which will be related here.
McCay, Jones, and Spangler
Three men named McCay, Jones, and Spangler, followed a stage out of Malad City in 1870, and held it up about six or seven miles from the city. It is said that Spangler and Jones were later captured; however, Jones escaped from jail, and Spangler apparently entered a plea bargain, giving information that led to the recovery of $6,000 of the $9,000 taken from the coach.
Using dummies during a robbery
About two weeks after the robbery related above in 1870, there was a holdup near the top of the Malad Divide. It is believed that this is the robbery that was referred to by Hattie Morgan in “Idaho’s Malad Valley, A History” by Thomas J. McDevitt, M.D. One man was known variously by three different names – Ed. Flag, Frank Long and Frank Carpenter. The other man had a last name of Stone and was said to belong to a good family from Louisville, Kentucky.
The robbers placed three dummies in a half exposed position near the road and, according to the story, made off with $36,000 in gold bullion without firing a shot. The stagecoach that went through the area that day carried no passengers.
Hattie Morgan said that the name of the driver was Mart Goddard and that the messenger was “Curley Dan”. The stage returned to Malad after the robbery and the men said that they had been held up by a gang of five men (Supposing that the three dummies were considered part of the gang?).
In a history written as part of the American History and Genealogy Project (AHGP) for Bannock County, Idaho, the story is related that J.N. Ireland, Tom Oakley, Daniel Robbins and four other men trailed the robbers from the spot where the robbery occurred and followed them to Birch Creek. (We assume Birch Creek near Robin in Bannock County).
It was dark by the time the robbers were found; so early the next morning, Ireland and the six other men crossed the creek and came close to the unsuspecting thieves. When the robbers became aware of the posse, they hid in a hollow. Ireland and his men divided, with Ireland and Robbins deciding to trail the thieves, three men staying with the robbers’ horses and one man, Tom Oakley, hiding behind a rock with a rifle. As Ireland and Robbins were trailing the robbers, Oakley yelled out to them in warning. At that time Robbins was shot. The robbers tried to run and Oakley shot both of them, killing Flag (aka Long or Carpenter) and shooting Stone in the leg.
This agrees with Hattie Morgan’s account, which said that her father, Dr. J.W. Morgan was summoned along with J.W. White, who found the posse threatening to hang Stone.
The Malad men tried to get Stone to tell where the money was. Stone tried to tell them that there were three other men involved (the dummies?) and that they had the money. It is said that after Tom Oakley (after whom the town of Oakley, Idaho was named) “took the matter in hand” that Stone finally confessed that the money was hidden near Elkhorn. It was later found.
The account that is recorded by the AHGP indicates that Stone’s leg was amputated. Robbins recovered and later passed away in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was related later by Stone, that as Ireland and Robbins were trailing the men, with Ireland wearing a grey shirt and Robbins wearing a white shirt, he and Flag saw a gleam of white through the foliage, which was Robbins’ shirt, causing them to shoot Robbins.
Stone was tried and found guilty. He was sent to the penitentiary in Boise but secured a pardon after a short time and became a preacher.
After the posse returned to Malad, they found out that a reward had been offered for the capture of the two men, and so each man received $1,280 each.
Another story was found, almost identical to the above account, indicating a robbery on the Malad Divide where there were three bandits, one with the name of Ad Long, and several dummies. Dan Robbins was cited as being the US Marshal, but the posse was comprised of men from Marsh Valley. The year was different too, happening in 1872. It states that the members of the posse were given a reward with which each built a large frame home.
One other account tells of a robbery that took place near Malad where dummies were placed in a turning in the road. Again, there were no passengers in the stage, but the robbers made off with several bars of gold.
Charley Phelps
Forty-three-year-old Charley Phelps, accompanied by Joe Pinkham, was driving a stage through the Portneuf Canyon near Robber’s Roost in the summer of 1873. The two men heard a voice call out for the stage to stop, but as the story goes, instead of stopping the two men fired at the sound of the voice. As shots were returned, Charles Phelps was killed.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported in two stories on July 19 and July 21, 1873.
“Attempted Stagecoach Robbery
“Private dispatches received from Malad last evening, gave intelligence of a daring attempt to rob the stage in Port Neuf Canyon, Idaho, near the place known as ‘Robbers Roost.’ The attack was made from both sides of the road, simultaneously, the highwaymen discharging their guns at the coach, the discharge only wounding the driver, Charles Phelps, in the body. This brave man, notwithstanding his injuries, plied his whip to the horses, and escaped with the passengers and treasure. Dr. Graham, of this city left here this morning to attend on Mr. Phelps. The officers of Oneida County are out in search of the rascals, and we hope they’ll capture them dead or alive. We learn that the driver died last night from the effects of his wounds. We hope the pursuers will be successful in arresting the murderers. – Corinne Reporter.”
“Death of Charles Phelps
“Since writing our account of the murderous attack on the Montana stage, we have received intelligence of the death of Charles Phelps, the heroic driver whom the robbers shot on Wednesday night. He expired early yesterday morning, from the effect of the wound received, and will be interred today at Malad City. Colonel Reed left here this morning for the latter place, to attend the funeral, and give decent burial to the brave man who died at his post of duty like a soldier. Mr. Phelps was originally from Western New York, and, at the time of his death was about fifty years of age. He had been in the service of the Overland Stage Company for several years and was highly respected by his employers and all the people who knew him. – Corinne Reporter.”
Phelps is buried in the Malad City Cemetery where the following inscription is engraved on his headstone:
“In memory of Charles Phelps, of St. Lawrence County, New York.
“Driver on the Overland Stage Line, who was mortally wounded, July 16, 1873, in an attack on his coach by highwaymen, in Portneuf Canyon, Idaho, and died on the following day.
“Age 43 years.
“He fell, as all true heroes fall.
“While answering to his duty’s call.
“This stone is erected by his friends and companions, who loved and respected him, and sincerely mourn his death.”
Ben Holladay
Even Ben Holladay was involved in a stagecoach robbery. The story is told of when he was riding in a stagecoach with his wife who was ill, and two highwaymen stopped the coach. It is said that one of the robbers stuck a shotgun in the window of the coach within a foot of Holladay’s nose and told Holladay to keep his hands up and not move. Holladay’s nose started to itch, and he later related the story as follows, “‘Stranger,’ I said, ‘I must scratch my nose! It itches so that I am almost crazy!
“‘Move your hands,’ he shouted, ‘and I’ll blow a hole through your head big enough for a jack-rabbit to jump through!’
“I appealed once more. ‘Well,’ he answered, ‘keep your hands still and I’ll scratch it for you.'”
When asked if the robber scratched his nose, Holladay answered that, he scratched it “…With the muzzle of the cocked gun. He rubbed the muzzle around my mustache and raked it over the end of my nose, until I thanked him and said that it itched no longer.” (As quoted by Root and Connelly, The Overland Stage to California, p. 560.)
It is said that Mrs. Holladay slept through the entire incident! Apparently, the robbers didn’t know who was in the coach, as it states in the story that they didn’t notice the extra gilt with which it was adorned. They did get Holladay’s watch and gold chain, but totally missed a well-filled money belt.